Skype is a really convenient way to talk with colleagues and friends located all across the world (heck, Cuba can even join in on Internet conversations now). But the one thing that used to frustrate non-Skype users was that it was necessary to download Skype in order to use the service.

Aiming to compete with the likes of Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, Microsoft has just updated Skype to make sharing a chat group with friends a lot simpler.

New Sharing Links

Now, if you want to get a group chat going on Skype, all you have to do is send out a link that everyone you want to include in the chat can use to join in the conversation. All people have to do is click on the link to join the group. This means that you will no longer need to have Skype set up on your computer if you want to chat with friends. All you have to do is open up Skype for the web, and use the link that you were sent. From there, you can add your name and start chatting.

The new updates are limited to Skype for the web, but if someone does already have Skype installed on a phone or other device, they can join in the conversation as well. This new Skype addition will make it a lot simpler for people to use Skype’s chat service. It’s always a pain to download a new chat app on your computer, and now you don’t have to download anything just to use Skype - it’s a win-win for Microsoft.

Stiff Competition

There are a lot of different chat apps out there, but only a few make it into the business world - and that’s pushing it with a lot of businesses that prefer to stick to good old-fashioned face-to-face meetings and phone calls. Skype, however, tends to be the one chat program that a lot of business people will use, so it was a good call when Microsoft decided to make the chat more accessible.

Still, Microsoft has to compete with the likes of Facebook’s WhatsApp and the company’s own brand name Messenger. Whether or not people will adopt Skype for casual conversations is debatable though.

Skype has long been the service that you use with other Skype users, so it may take some time for people to get used to the program being something that you can use with anyone - and you still have to use the web version of the program in order to join a Skype conversation if you don’t have the app installed. Still, it’s clear that Microsoft is attempting to make the program more accessible.

Moving Ahead

Microsoft has been making some adjustments to Skype over the past few months, and you can expect more smaller adjustments to come as well. The new Skype group chat options can currently be found in the U.S. and in the U.K. Microsoft has also told press that the company will make the group chat option available via mobile apps soon enough as well, though a set date has not yet been mentioned.